He was the first player the Chargers signed last week in free agency when, just as easily, he could've come second, third or fourth. He could've mulled things over further, taken a couple visits elsewhere.

He didn't see the point.

"At the end of the day, in my heart, my gut feeling," Brown said, "it was a no-brainer."

The running back holds high hopes for what joining the Chargers offense means, having caught a flash of it last October. He traveled to San Diego with the Colts, whose offense largely was kept off the field, as the Chargers controlled the game. This past week arguably only bolstered their ability to so in 2014.

Brown remembers the game well.

It's easy: He spent most of it standing around, watching.

Indianapolis entered the Week 6 meeting riding an average of 27.9 points per game. On Monday Night Football, it managed nine. The Chargers rushed 37 times for 147 yards. They went 7-for-14 on third down. The Colts offense was on the field less than 22 minutes and ran a season-low 49 plays.

The 19-9 loss left an impression.

"No doubt about it," Brown said last week. "Up front, the Chargers dominated the game. I haven't met any of the offensive linemen, but everyone's speaking very highly of them. I'm excited to work with them."

Ball control was part of the Chargers' identity in 2013.

They lacked a consistent deep threat in the passing game, having lost wide receivers Danario Alexander and Malcom Floyd to season-ending injuries in August and September, respectively. A balance of power and precision helped compensate. Running back Ryan Mathews rushed for a career-high 1,255 yards. Quarterback Philip Rivers completed a career-high 69.5 percent of his passes.

No offense outnumbered its 39 10-play drives or 31 10-play possessions that ended with a score.

Moving forward, the Chargers want to add more speed on offense. Their focus is not sustaining long drives. They want touchdowns, however they come, and it's expected they'll continue to work to find more explosiveness in the passing game over the coming weeks and months.

That said, free agency thus far has strengthened last year's recipe.

Backup quarterback Kellen Clemens aside, San Diego has made two key signings on offense. Brown is one. David Johnson, a former Steelers blocking tight end and fullback, is the other.

The entire starting offensive line from 2013 remains on the roster.

Brown joins a backfield already with Mathews and Danny Woodhead.

"That's my job to complement those two," Brown said. "It's going to be a three-headed monster. I'm very excited to work with those guys. I respect the heck out of them. I think they're two great ballplayers. The more weapons we have on offense, the better we're going to be as a team. That's the goal. That's why we're all here."